In The House (2012)

Directed by: François Ozon
Country: France

Review: With “In The House”, François Ozon still couldn’t get close to the excellence revealed in “Under The Sand” or “Swimming Pool”, yet this was his most refreshing work lately; a creative story about voyeurism, obsession, and manipulation, which also manipulates the viewer somehow. The story follows Germain, a High School teacher who is increasingly disappointed with his students. However, 16 year-old Claude will stir his curiosity with an essay about a classmate named Rapha Artole and his mother Esther. Since that moment, Germain encouraged him to continue writing, gaining an eagerness to know more about the family in question and even giving suggestions to reconstruct the story in a more appealing way. For that, Claude would have to continue going to Artole’s home and be creative. The true challenge here was to know if his detailed descriptions were real or imagination. Germain’s wife was also an interesting character. While helping to decipher Claude’s personality, she became suspicious about her husband’s involvement with him. A few turn of events were a bit strained for my taste, however the film showed a beneficial funny side, having the ability to provoke us with its inventiveness and bitter end. It can't compete with "Rear Window" or "Peeping Tom", but it may rouse some voyeuristic instincts.